Sunday, March 21, 2010

There is nothing better than a get away to refresh your mind and body! I have always loved the Ozark mountains and try to visit at least a couple of times a year. This year, my 16 year old daughter and I decided to take a short trip and pack in as many things as we could in a few days. We took off to Eureka Springs as our first destination. It has to be one of my favorite destinations and Annie just fell in love with it! We visited War Eagle Grist Mill outside of Rogers, Arkansas. I wanted to show her a real working grist mill and let her experience the beautiful countryside of the Ozarks. I love the apple butter and stocked up on a few jars to enjoy until our next visit. I always buy several sacks of the fresh biscuit mix. I keep them in the freezer to stay fresh. Just a couple of cups and you can whip up hot biscuits in a flash! Love the bridge! Last year during the craft show, hundreds of people walked across to enjoy the vendors and all of the wonderful things to see and do. We loved standing on the bridge and listening to the flowing water. It was a cool day, but the sun shown brightly and not a cloud in the sky! The inside of the mill contains the storage, gift shop and on the third floor, you can enjoy a hot homemade Ozark breakfast! Since this was my daughters first trip and we had so much to see. I had to hit the highlights of the town. We visited the Christ of the Ozarks, Thorn crown Chapel, and all of the historic downtown. We spent the day shopping and visited all of my favorite little shops. I bought a few gifts for the girls and a treat or two for myself! I took her out to the Crescent Hotel to show her where we had married last year. There was a wedding going on at the time in the same spot! She toured the hotel and went out on the back porch to view the mountains. At night the Christ of the Ozarks is lit and you can see it from the hotel. After all of the tours, we were starving and decided that some Bar-B-Q was just what we needed. Bubba's is right on the main road in the city and if you can get a parking spot you can eat a wonderful meal. Annie, had sauce dripping everywhere. It was messy eating, but sooo good! We spent the night in a nice little hotel, got a good night sleep and then we took off the next day to travel into Missouri. Our original plan was to go to Mansfield Mo and then on to St Charles. Well, we decided to visit Branson as well. I will post those photos in the next few days! Have a great week.